Twelfth Union: A Melungeon Gathering

The gathering will begin with an informal “Melungeon Mixer” on Thursday evening, June 26th, offering an opportunity for socializing and informal sharing. Friday and Saturday, June 27th and 28th, MHA will hold two full days of presentations, chat groups, storytelling and music. A wide selection of books on Melungeon and Appalachian history will also be available for purchase.

This gathering, with its theme, is especially significant. It will be held at a time when our nation is beginning to celebrate the 200th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln's birth. MHA views this opportunity, to honor mixed ancestry at Lincoln Memorial University, as noteworthy, considering Lincoln’s legacy of commitment to all people, regardless of race. This is also poignant since many consider Lincoln to have been of mixed ancestry, with possible ties to Melungeon related communities.

For more than 200 years, the mysterious mixed-ethnic people known as Melungeons, have been the subject of folklore, speculation, and occasionally, scientific inquiry in the southern Appalachian region. The Melungeons are one of an estimated 200 groups of Americans who were dubbed “tri-racial isolates” by one researcher in the 1950s. These groups have been considered a mixture of white, black, and Indian by both their neighbors and researchers, and have been the object of discrimination to varying degrees over the years. Melungeons have faced discrimination, both legal and social, because they did not fit into America’s accepted racial categories. Historical accounts of the Melungeons maintain that they claimed Portuguese and Indian ancestry.

Melungeon family tree branches connect with the wide array of ethnic groups that established the colonies, including English, Celtic, Spanish, Portuguese, German, Arabic, Jewish, Turkish, East Indian, African and others. In many cases, Melungeons who moved away from their Appalachian homes left behind not only poverty and limited opportunities, but their ethnic identity as well. Some scholars estimate as many as 50,000 to 100,000 Americans share this heritage to some degree.

MHA, formed in 1998, hosts a yearly gathering celebrating Melungeon heritage and supporting other mixed ancestry groups. While mixed-ethnic populations often face discrimination, in the past decade, they have been able to reclaim and celebrate their unique heritage. Through the work of the MHA, Melungeon descendents and others gather to celebrate the diversity of their mixed ancestry heritage. MHA has worked to break through the barriers of discrimination, oppression and lost family connections.

As MHA secretary, Ruth Webb - Duffy, says “This event offers the opportunity to share family histories, both oral and written, that have been kept secret for far too many generations. We hope to continue to shed some light on aspects of American history that have been overlooked.” MHA encourages folks to bring musical instruments, family bibles, pictures, and stories to this event. The event has a casual picnic/family reunion atmosphere with academic presentations. There will also be evening gatherings on the lawn (weather permitting) to chat, play music and share.

Presenters will include authors Elizabeth Hirschman and Lisa Alther. Historians Ron Bryant and Frank Sweet will be there along with LMU’s own Earl Hess, and the Vardy Community Historical Society. Native American researcher, Dr. James Nickens and Melungeon researcher, Dr. Terry Mullins will also be lecturing. Dr. James Gifford, from the Jesse Stuart Foundation, will do a presentation on the Daughter of The Legend novel that has real connections with LMU and the Melungeon story. An historical look at the continuing custom of grave houses will be presented by Anthony Kirk. Informal chats and presentations are promised by Melungeon elders and researchers, Johnnie Rhea and Dr. Irene Wright.

Redbone Heritage Foundation President, Stacy Webb, along with RHF Board member and Native American, Gabe Gabeheart will make presentations. K. Paul Johnson, author of Pell Mellers and Todd Beckham, researcher and filmmaker, will focus on their North Carolina connections.

Dr. Elmer Maggard, a psychologist and group dynamics specialist, will present the keynote address focusing on the legacy of oppression.

Music will be provided by Randy Williams and Friends (including his song of the Melungeons 'This is Where We'll Stay') as well as Frank and Mary Sweet. Storyteller, Larry Thacker, will entertain and educate in the historic oral tradition.

Julie Williams Dixon will present two showings of her highly acclaimed film, Melungeon Voices, which premiered at last year’s MHA gathering; this film was possible through the contributions of many researchers. It was recently accepted into the Tupelo Film Festival, and was chosen by a film critic out of Oxford, MS as one of her top five favorites from the entire festival.

Also returning will be N. Brent Kennedy author of The Melungeons: The Resurrection of a Proud People. Kennedy is credited with the birth of the Melungeon Movement and is a founding member of the MHA. Kennedy’s work, with the assistance of his wife, Robyn, helped awaken a sleeping population of mixed ancestry people.